Considering oil options
When creating products with non-bioengineered ingredients, food companies also need to decide on oil sources.
Organizers of the Oilseed & Grain Trade Summit have added an organic and non-G.M.O. forum to its event scheduled for Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 in Minneapolis. The forum will address such topics as costs, labeling and farmers’ rights to choose.
Dow AgroSciences, L.L.C., Indianapolis, offers two different types of canola oil in its omega-9 fatty acid portfolio, said David Dzisiak, commercial leader for grains and oils in North America. One type is bioengineered and based on Roundup Ready. The second is non-bioengineered and based on the Clearfield production system.
Dow AgroSciences has patented seed for the non-bioengineered type.
“The main thing that is critical is in the seed production,” Mr. Dzisiak said. “If it’s in the seed, you can’t get rid of it. It’s going to multiply. So that’s where our greatest focus is.”
The company manages crop production through an identity preservation program.
“There certainly is extra handling for the grain company and for the oil processor around segregation and keeping it identity preserved,” he said. “For us, it’s a very scalable program. We have the capacity to produce literally hundreds of millions of lbs of this oil.”
Dow AgroSciences under its omega-9 fatty acid profile also offers sunflower oil. Like palm oil, sunflower oil is non-bioengineered.
“Sunflower is a good oil, a good option,” Mr. Dzisiak said. “It certainly works well. There’s no G.M. use in that crop. It’s going to be G.M.-free. The challenge is going to be how much a (food company) needs, and it’s typically a more expensive oil than the others.”
Cargill and Stratas Foods, Memphis, Tenn., both offer sunflower oil, too. Three of Stratas products — Sustain, Frymax Sun Supreme and Frymax Sun Supreme without silicone — received Non-GMO Project Verification this year. Cargill offers IngreVita high-oleic Sunflower and EPA/DHA Omega-3 Oil (IngreVita HO Sun). IngreVita HO Sun contains a blend of high-oleic oil from non-bioengineered sunflower seeds, fish oil and proprietary antioxidants.
